The Turkish armed forces have advanced into Azaz region East of Afrin within the framework of the Olive Branch Operation in Northern Syria, a Turkish media outlet reported on Monday.
The state-run Anadolu news agency reported that the Turkish army has continued its ground assault as the Olive Branch Operation entered its third day.

Anadolu said that the army men have advanced into the Azaz region too to expand the scope of the operation.

President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Turkey would not take a step back from the operation in the Afrin region. He also said that Ankara had an agreement with Russia regarding its military operation against a US-backed Kurdish militia.

Speaking at an Ankara Chamber of Commerce awards ceremony, Erdogan stressed that he wants to support the national security and territorial integrity of Syria as Turkey “has no designs on territories of another country.”~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~The team of SyrianFreePress/WarPressInfo do not necessarily subscribe every point of view expressed and are not responsible for any inaccurate statement in this article. ~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~

Iran, Turkey and Russia have signed a memorandum on the creation of four security zones in Syria during another round of the peace talks in Astana on May 4.

According to the document, security zones were proposed in the province of Idlib, in the area north of the city of Homs, in Eastern Ghouta near Damascus and in southern Syria.

“Guarantors within five days after signing the memorandum will create a working group at the level of authorized representatives to determine the boundaries of disarmament, areas of tension and security areas, as well as to address technical issues related to the implementation of the memorandum,” the text of the document reads.

All technical issues, including borders of the zones, should be solved until May 22. The next round of the Astana peace talks will take place in mid-July when the trilateral group will report about the process of the reconciliation.

If the initiative achieves at least partly success, this will likely mean that in May or June the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allied forces, backed up by Russia and Iran, will launch a large operation against ISIS (ISIL, Daesh) in central Syria, aiming to reach the key city of Deir Ezzor besieged by ISIS. However, these will be possible only if the situation near Damascus, Daraa and Homs will be calm.

The SAA, led by the 105th Brigade of the Republican Guard, stormed the remaining militant defense lines in the southeastern part of the Qaboun district in eastern Damascus and captured a number of buildings from Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Al-Rahman Corps……………………….

A Russian military adviser, Alexei Buchelnikov, was killed in Syria by a sniper from the ranks of militants, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on May 2. Buchelnikov was “a member of the group that had been training personnel of the Syrian artillery units.”

Experts note that according to photo and video evidence the Russian military has recently expanded a number of military advisers embedded with Syrian army units as well as intensified efforts aimed at training Syrian military personnel.

These developments came amid a significant increase of the number of U.S. troops and military equipment deployed in the Kurdish-held area in northeastern Syria and embedded with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Meanwhile, Russian military servicemen accompanied with members of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) have visited the Runbar refugee camp in the Afrin Canton, a YPG-held area in northwestern Syria. Earlier this week, the camp came under shelling from Turkish military forces.

According to more neutral sources, Russian military servicemen are setting up two posts near the border in order to monitor possible clashes between Kurdish militias and the Turkish military………………………

Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has renewed calls to the UN Security Council for an immediate end of the violations of The Syrian sovereignty by the Turkish Armed Forces.

The Ministry also published a list of all violations that occurred since last December.

The letter, which was addressed to the UN Secretary General and the President of the UN Security Council, mentions illegal incursions into Syrian territory, building a wall within the so-called Turkish buffer zones (which exist on the sovereign Syrian territory), destruction of the property belonging to the Syrian citizens such as uprooting of hundreds of olive trees in order to build roads for the tanks of the Turkish army (as recently seen in the village of Qljabreen in the Azaz area of Aleppo province) and illegal backing of the terrorist groups which are loyal to the regime in Ankara.

The letter further states that the Turkish authorities recently established a military base inside Syrian territory, more precisely in the village of Jtrar, North of the town of Tal Rifaat, located in the province of Aleppo. The base includes the headquarters for the Turkish army personnel and their allies who are stationed on the Syrian soil and are allegedly involved in the so-called “Operation Euphrates Shield”. Ammunition depots are also being mentioned…………………

“Why did we enter? We do not have an eye on Syrian soil. The issue is to provide lands to their real owners. That is to say we are there for the establishment of justice. We entered there to end the rule of the tyrant al-Assad who terrorizes with state terror. [We didn’t enter] for any other reason”, Erdogan said.

If Turkish troops were in Syria to remove its President, instead with the flimsy excuse of fighting ISIS under a badly fitting UN mandate, they would be a hostile invasion force and a legitimate target for Syria and its allies.

The remark was thus stupid. It weakened the Turkish position.

Kremlin asks Erdogan to clarify ‘anti-Assad’ goals in Syria.

Erdogan tried to save the situation, promising a retreat from his statement for at least some gain for the Jihadis he supports.

Erdogan’s statement, aimed at his supporters in Turkey and elsewhere, created a legal mess for his troops. The attempt to sell a retreat from it for some gain was harshly rejected by Russia.

Now all Erdogan could do was to take his statement back with no gain at all. This was quite a loss of face for him – a well deserved one.

The game Erdogan tried would probably have worked with Merkel, or some other EU politician. Russia will have none of it. No means no. When Russia says stay out of Al-Bab it means stay out of Al-Bab…>>>…

Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday 29/11/2016: “We had preserved our patience for a long time but we couldn’t endure any longer and finally had to enter Syria along with the Free Syrian Army. Why have we entered Syria? We don’t have an eye on Syrian lands. The issue is to enable the true owners of these lands to keep their lands. We are present there to ensure justice. We have entered there in order to give an end to the rule of cruel Assad who has been waging state terror, not for any other thing”………

The Syrian Foreign and Expatriates Ministry affirmed that the statements made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday which showed the true goals of the Turkish aggression against Syria, with the Ministry affirming that Syria will not allow him to interfere in its affairs and that it will cut off the hand that tries to harm it.

An official source at the Foreign and Expatriates Ministry said on Wednesday that Erdogan’s statements prove that he is a liar and reveal that Turkish aggression against Syria is a result of the dreams and delusions that drive this extremist tyrant who turned Turkey into a base for terrorists that undermine security and stability in Syria and Iraq and cause suffering to innocents, all under the support of the Turkish regime…>>>…

The General Command of the Syrian Arab Army and Syrian Armed Forces dismissed the Turkish military forces’ recent attacks in Aleppo as a “serious escalation” and a gross violation of Syria’s sovereignty.

In a statement on Saturday, the General Command said the victories which the Syrian Arab Army and its allies are achieving in the war against terrorism, especially in Aleppo, have broken Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s illusions and smashed his plots in Syria and the region and prompted him to escalate his aggression on Syria.

The statement referred to the targeting of villages and towns in northern Aleppo by Turkey’s air force and its army units’ transgression into Syrian territory, along with providing direct military support, using artillery and tanks, to the terrorist organizations to continue committing crimes against civilians in northern Aleppo.

The statement said Erdogan’s regime is playing a “dirty” role having provided shelter, training, weapons and funds to the armed terrorist groups and opened Turkey’s border to facilitate the flow of thousands of mercenary terrorists into Syria since the beginning of the war.

The Army’s General Command affirmed in its statement that any presence of the Turkish army units across the border into Syria, under whatever excuses, is rejected and condemned and will be considered an “occupation force” and confronted with all the means available.

It also held the Turkish leadership fully responsible for the “dangerous consequences” that might result from its acts on the security and stability of the region.

Turkish tanks and vehicles penetrated earlier today into the northern countryside of Aleppo, over two days after Turkish warplanes committed a massacre of killing more than 150 civilians in attacks on the villages and towns of Hasadjek, al-Wardiyeh, Hassieh, Ghoul Sorouj, Sad al-Shahba, Ihres and Um Hawsh in the same countryside of Aleppo.

On September 28, the Turkish forces transformed a school building in Jarabulus city into a hospital and hoisted the Turkish flag above it in another violation of the Syrian sovereignty.

While falsely claiming to be fighting ISIS terrorist organization through these actions, the Turkish military forces aim at helping other terrorist organizations linked to the Turkish regime to replace ISIS in those areas…>>>…

In violation of the international laws, the Turkish regime under Recep Tayyip Erdogan has established a hospital in Jarablus city, northern Aleppo, and hoisted the Turkish flag on top of it, committing a blatant violation of Syria’s sovereignty.

Local sources and media reports said the Turkish regime transformed a school building in Jarablus city-which is located in the north of the country adjoining the Turkish borders- into a hospital with a board fixed atop saying “Turkish Health Ministry- Jarablus Hospital”.

Social networking websites circulated images showing the Turkish flag hoisted on the building and a number of Turkish officials standing in front of it, in an unprecedented and dangerous act of aggression on the Syrian territories and the country’s sovereignty.

Contrary to the claims that the hospital will serve the locals of Jarablus city, the facts show that it will be used for hospitalizing and treating injured terrorists.

Turkey, like its masters of the U.S. regime, continue to be rogue states and supporters of the terrorism which is bloodying the Middle East… … …

We republish an analysis compiled by Elijah J. Magnier [Al Rai Chief International Correspondent, veteran War correspondent & Analyst from Middle East] regarding the topicality of the Turkish incursion into Syrian territory, in a perspective that contemplates the recent Turkish-Russian agreements.

Although we can not prove [and therefore subscribe] all the points of this analysis, however we consider that it is in some ways very interesting and useful. (SFP-WP)

Turkey has invaded Syria in derogation of international law (Nuremberg) with the blessing of the US and the “international community”.

According to press reports Turkey’s air force and artillery were involved in “pounding ISIS strongholds” in Jarablus. Turkey’s mandate according to an official communique is to “completely cleanse terrorists from its border region with Syria.”

The media applauds. Turkey has a humanitarian mission under the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) doctrine.

The truth of the matter is that Turkey sponsors the terrorists and then invades Syria on the pretext that it must protect Syria from the ISIS.

Erdogan is going after his own terrorists. The ISIS is sponsored and supported by the Turkish High command.

Since the onset of the Turkish invasion, extensive atrocities have been committed by Turkish forces under the cloak of combating Daesh and Al Qaeda. which are supported, trained and financed by Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

Foreign and Expatriates Ministry said on Monday that the violations and massacres committed by the Turkish regime in the Syrian territories form a crime of aggression and crimes against humanity, adding that combating terrorism on the Syrian territories by any side must be done in coordination with the government of the Syrian Arab Republic and the Syrian Arab Army.

“The Turkish army’s air and artillery forces, in coordination with the armed terrorist organizations, targeted the villages of Jub al-Kusa and al-Amarneh to the south of Jarabulus city in Aleppo through shelling randomly, leading to a massacre and killing 35 civilians, 20 of them were killed in Jub al-Kusa and 15 others in al-Amarneh village, in addition to dozens wounded persons”.

It added that “the drama played by the Turkish regime through entering Jarabulus city, where it didn’t shoot fire a single bullet at ISIS, rather it let ISIS join the Turkish army and enter Jarabulus is an evidence on the cooperation between the Turkish regime and ISIS.”

“Turkey is slowly leaving the Atlantic system. That is the reason behind this coup. That is the reason why NATO is panicking. This is much broader and much bigger than Erdogan. This is a tectonic movement. This will affect Turkish-Syrian relations, Turkish-Chinese relations, Turkish-Russian relations and Turkish-Iranian relations. This will change the world.” — Yunus Soner, Deputy Chairman Turkish Patriotic Party
… … …
The Obama administration’s support for the Kurds in Syria as well as its behavior following the coup of July 15, has led to a dramatic deterioration in US-Turkey relations. This will undoubtedly effect Erdogan’s willingness to allow the US to use its airbases for conducting bombing raids in Syria in the future. It’s also bound to accelerate the pace at which Turkey strengthens relations with Russia, Iran and others as it will need the protection of new allies to better defend itself against threats from the west…

Interview conducted by Alexander Sivilov with professor Tetsuya Sahara, one of the most prominent Japanese experts on Balkan history and politics. Prof. Sahara teaches political science at Meiji University in Tokyo. From 2008 to 2015 he worked in the Middle East Technical University in Ankara and one of the largest private Turkish universities – Bilkent.

Professor Tetsuya Sahara: “The result of the purge in the army is very scary. After coming to power in 2002, Erdogan’s party cleared the army of Kemalists. Then they replaced them with supporters of Fethullah Gülen. Currently they are cleansing the Gülenists. Who will come in their place? Most likely it will be extreme Islamists. Currently, half of those in the military are sympathetic to jihadists and the idea of ​​a holy war. It’s a disaster”…

Dear Western [puppets] rulers, here is the true face of the tyrant Erdogan, and his real coup after the fake one: if you support today’s Turkey, you lead Europe towards its end… … …and this is most probably what some entities would like…

In his first “emergency powers” decree, published by the Anadolu state news agency, Erdogan authorised the closure of 1,043 private schools, 1,229 charities and foundations, 19 trade unions, 15 universities and 35 hospitals over suspected links to the Gulen movement. The government also announced it would seize the properties of all these schools, universities and private institutions.

Here is a summary of what is taking place at this moment in Turkey:
* The massive crackdown continues: the number of sacked/suspended rises to 76,644 and counting. More than 11,000 detained.
* Turkey shuts down 15 universities, 934 schools, 104 foundations, 109 dormitories, 35 hospitals, 1,125 associations, 19 unions today.
* The properties of all these schools, universities and private institutions has been seized.
* Erdogan’s decree has imposed such draconian measures for fired public employees that sacked police can’t even get a job as a private guard.

We can only imagine what the independent media’s reaction would be if the same putsch had taken place elsewhere, like for example in Russia… … …

President Bashar al-Assad gave interview to Cuba’s official state news agency Prensa Latina in which he said the Turks, Qataris and Saudis lost most of their cards on the battlefields in Syria and that Aleppo battle is their last card, affirming that there is strong harmony between Syria and Latin America, especially Cuba, on the political and historical levels and that hard work is needed in order to invigorate the different sectors of this relation.

President al-Assad: “The Turks and their allies like the Saudis and Qataris lost most of their cards on the battlefields in Syria, so the last card for them, especially for Erdogan, is Aleppo. That is why he worked hard with the Saudis to send as much as they can of the terrorists – the estimation is more than 5,000 terrorists – to Aleppo”.

Prensa Latina journalist: “Through the Turkish borders?”

President al-Assad: “Yes, from Turkey to Aleppo, during the last two months, in order to recapture the city of Aleppo, and that didn’t work. Actually, our army has been making advancement in Aleppo and the suburbs of Aleppo in order to encircle the terrorists, then, let’s say, either to negotiate their going back to their normal life as part of reconciliation, or for the terrorists to leave the city of Aleppo, or to be defeated. There’s no other solution.
Actually, the war on Syria is a full-blown war; it is not only supporting terrorists. They support the terrorists, and at the same time they launched a political war against Syria on the international level, and the third front was the economic front, in which they dictate to their terrorists, to their surrogate mercenaries, to start destroying the infrastructure in Syria that helped the economy and the daily needs of the Syrian citizens.
At the same time, they started an embargo directly on the borders of Syria through the terrorists and abroad through the banking systems around the world. In spite of that, the Syrian people were determined to live as much normal life as they can”.

President al-Assad: “I think … [there are] … historical similarities and commonalities between our region, between Syria and Latin America. Latin America was under direct occupation for long time ago, but after that it was under the occupation of the American companies, and the American coup d’états and the American intervention”… … …

Sibel Edmonds is joined by James Corbett and Spiro Skouras to discuss the recent failed coup attempt in Turkey. We touch-upon facts and elements that are currently being systematically blacked out by the establishment media, and analyze the main actors and agendas involved. From the CIA and Operation Gladio B to Mullah Gulen’s $20+ Billion shady network in the United States, and the media’s role in implementing the deep state’s psychological warfare tactics, we leave no stone unturned! Don’t miss this daring and bold discussion, and please help us put out the word by sharing the link to this video. (Submitted by ‘The Old Sniper‘).

As we had already previously said, one thing is certain: if the ‘intelligence services’ wished to let ‘come out into the open’ all possible internal armed enemies, that could have been a future problem for Erdogan, and at the same time increasing his power and consent, this failed coup was the best expedient. (SyrianPatriots)
###
What began as a brainstorm erupted into a full blown conspiracy theory when a Politico reporter poured gas on the fire claiming that his Turkish source believed the coup was a staged performance.

Social media is abuzz with new claims that Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan faked the coup attempt against the government after the country’s leader called the botched overthrow “a gift from Allah.” Posting under #TheaterNotCoup social media users ask aloud whether the whole think was an elaborate scheme for the Turkish strongman to garner even more control.

The theory originated when Politico’s European correspondent Ryan Heath said that a Turkish source of his believed that the entire debacle was a staged performance citing the fact that the government was able to communicate with everybody in Turkey via SMS text message and that Erdogan would be able to “clean” the military of secularists and install hardline Islamists in both the judiciary and the armed forces stripping away any constitutional check on the leader…. … …

Turkish Prime Minister said that 2,839 soldiers and officers implicated in an overnight coup attempt have been arrested. At least 265 people have been killed, including 104 pro-coup participants, while 1,440 people were injured in military action in Istanbul and Ankara.

According to Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, those arrested included ordinary soldiers and high-ranking officers. He added that about 20 of those who planned the overnight coup were killed and 30 more were wounded.

Acting chief of staff of the armed forces Umit Dundar said during a press conference that more than 190 people have been killed since the attempted coup was launched.

“1,563 soldiers were arrested, and 104 military who took part in the coup were killed in clashes. Ninety others were also killed, including 41 [pro-government] police officers, 2 [pro-government] soldiers and 47 civilians,” he said.

The Turkish army says it has taken power over the country and that the rule of law must remain a priority.
After seizing the channel, Turkish Armed Forces broadcast a statement declaring martial law and announcing that they had “completely taken over the administration” with the aim of “reinstat[ing] constitutional order, human rights and freedoms.”
The army also announced that a new constitution would be adopted and a “Peace Council” will now govern the country.
There have been unconfirmed reports that Erdogan’s plane has been diverted inside the country, but airports in the Turkish capital had already been closed by the military with all flights diverted.
NBC News reported that Erdogan’s aircraft has been denied permission to land in Istanbul, citing a source in the US military.

Erdogan, as Netanyahu, are enemies of mankind…we trust them as we trust the poisonous snakes and scorpions, because that is their nature…and both, Putin and Assad, knows it…
Regardless of the apologies or the hypothetical surrender, Erdogan and his regime will not solve their problems with simple excuses: they have to pay a heavy price for all the destruction, looting and massacres committed against the Syrian (Kurdish, Turkish, Iraqi…) people in recent years, and must be prosecuted, for their support to the international jihadist terrorism, for crimes against humanity and war crimes before an international tribunal.
A noose around the neck, or, better yet, a regular shot in the back by the Turkish Army, as a traitor to his own country, would be more appropriate, because Erdogan, like Benjamin Netanyahu, is a criminal and serial murderer: “hostis humani generis”, enemy of mankind.
(SFP-WP)
~~~
by Katherine Frisk, VT (Submitted by al-Jatabí).
The only conclusion I can come to is that Erdogan has in effect, surrendered to Russia, and the letter of apology for shooting down the Russian plane is in fact a letter of surrender.

On the 7th of June Assad, re-elected by the Syrian people, said that Alleppo would be Erdogan’s graveyard and that he would reclaim every part of Syria and not surrender any territory to Erdogan’s backed Daesh/ISIS. Today Alleppo is being pounded by the Syrian Army with Russian air support. It is only a matter of time before Assad reclaims the city.

Also in early June Germany acknowledged the Armenian Genocide which angered Erdogan and he withdrew the Turkish ambassador.

It has become clear to Erdogan that Turkey will not be admitted into the European Union in the near future and if anything after the Brexit vote, it is doubtful that the European Union as it currently stands will still exist within the next five years. Holland, France, Italy and Spain being a number of other countries who want to hold a referendum in order to secure their own Leave vote. And that includes Germany.

Erdogan is not only a war criminal who has been buying illegal stolen oil from Daesh/ISIS in collusion with Genel(1) and Genie (2), and supporting them and the so-called “rebels”since 2012, along with support from the US, UK, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Israel, but has also been committing gross human rights abuses within his own country with draconian anti-terror laws, which have been used to incarcerate journalists and human rights advocates.

The situation in Turkey keeps getting worse. Private debt is out of control, the tourism sector is in free-fall and the decline in the currency has impacted every citizen’s buying power. Because of increasing pressures on the central bank and political storms, Turkey’s annual growth rate has already slowed.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seems to be out of control. He is cracking down on opposition, imprisoning opponents and seizing media outlets. Not once the Turkish leader has threatened to dissolve the constitutional court. It is taking place at the time the security problems have deteriorated amidst a wave of terrorism.

Turkish people have a very simple choice: either to replace insanity with intelligence and wisdom on the way to peace and prosperity, or continue on the present downward course under the smoldering ashes of civil war and destruction.

Nusaybin in Turkey is bombarded by the Turkish military, while Turkish construction equipment, including bulldozers, were seen constructing trenches, reportedly just inside Syrian territory.

EUROPEAN ATTENTION !!! YOUR LEADERS INSTEAD OF FIGHTING TERRORISM ARE TIGHTENING ALLIANCE WITH THE ERDOGAN REGIME, WHO SUPPORTS AND TRADES WITH THE WORST BLOODTHIRSTY INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM, WHICH IS PENETRATING IN EUROPE AS A “TROJAN HORSE”, TO CAUSE LOSSES IN YOUR FAMILIES, AND DEVASTATE YOUR NATIONS, CULTURE, ROOTS, TRADITIONS.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
~
A Turkish opposition MP has accused the government of ignoring Islamic State (Daesh, ISIS, ISIL) activity on its territory despite knowing precise locations of militants. Documents containing what is thought to be proof of those allegations have been handed to the media.

Eren Erdem of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), told the Turkish parliament that the Turkish police have had extensive data on Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) activities in the country, but didn’t act against the terrorists under pressure from the government.

“There is no negligence here, there is intent. Everything is in AKP’s hands, but they did not interfere. It means (President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Erdogan’s ruling) AKP Party makes a distinction between terrorist organizations and turns a blind eye to IS,” he stressed.

According to Erdem, security forces wiretapped the phones of IS militants in the country, knowing of their plans and whereabouts.

One of the transcribes revealed that “1,128 ISIS militants came to Turkey (from Syria) and the government didn’t carry out any operation to them… The security of the country turned a blind eye to IS militants because of government pressure. The militants can easily cross the border, receive weapons and ideological training and return to the country with the purpose of massacre.”

US-Russian showdown is looming in the horizon after the arrival of 250 US special operations forces to Hasakeh, Syria, and the number is believed to reach 500 in the coming days.

European Department for Security and Information Secretary General Haissam Bou Said divulged that US special operations forces dispatched to Rumelan, province of Hasakeh, in Syria were tasked with “preparing for a ground invasion if and when the truce fails”.

US officials have openly spoken about plan B and said “Syrian army will be banned from realizing a complete victory, and the U.S. will continue supporting the moderate opposition”.

The US will rely on its military bases in Incerlik, Turkey and al Anabar, Iraq to combine a military coalition under the umbrella of the NATO if plan B relating to the federal affairs is not being implemented.

Turkey want to seize the border town of Manbij in Aleppo to guarantee that ISIS can move easily in and out of Syria. Turkey have also ambitions to seize the city of Mosel in Iraq.

General Haissam Bou Said, said that the first task of the 250 special operations forces and military experts sent to Hasaka is to guarantee a better implementation of the ground operations aimed at fighting ISIS.

However, the second task will be a formation of a pre-emptive military coalition to confront the Syrian army, Iran and Russia if plan B is not being translated into three federal cantons in Syria.

Turkey is to deploy US rocket launchers on its border that will put Syria’s strategic city Aleppo within firing range. The move suggests that Turkey is soliciting direct American military intervention in the Syrian war.

The immediate pretext for the US firepower is the deadly shelling of the Turkish border town of Kilis at the weekend, apparently by the Islamic State (IS or Daesh) terror group. Turkish authorities claimed that the militants fired missiles from Syrian territory.

“Our main target is to clear Daesh from a 98-kilometer-long border area… When this is achieved, a safe zone would be naturally formed for Syrian refugees,” added the foreign minister.

The American rocket system greatly extends the firing range from Turkey into Syria. Turkish artillery already in place is said to have only a range of 40 km, whereas the HIMARS guided missiles can reach up to 300 km.
The notable thing about these numbers is that the key battleground city of Aleppo is less than 60 km from the Turkish town of Kilis where the HIMARS will be deployed, well within their firing range.

As the main covert sponsors, Turkey and Saudi Arabia in particular stand to lose if Aleppo falls. Their investment in toppling the Assad government, with billions of dollars, will have been blown.

Washington, London and Paris are also complicit in sponsoring the covert war for regime change, politically and militarily, but arguably it is their regional clients, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, which stand to lose most from defeat.

ISIS started as rebels under the US occupation of Iraq. They grew by ravaging Libya and Syria. Their backers are Saudi Arabia and Turkey, and they fight as proxies for US neocons and allies. The motives are oil, gas, and empire-building.

ISIS is the latest offensive in a very long-term Anglo-Zionist “Divide and Conquer” project to balkanize and subjugate the Middle East, by fostering narrow sectarianism and infighting among its peoples.

Turkey’s dictator Erdogan runs ISIS for NATO; like the Saudis, he is an Islamic fundamentalist and a long-term ally of Israel.

Four days ago, the Turkish President, Erdogan, threatened with terrorist attack and explosion if Turkey were not given 6 billion Euro in aid, and free Visa Access to Europe, he said: “I don’t see a reason why don’t explosion bombs in Brussels”. Today; explosions hit Brussels, Belgium and Erdogan demand more fund and money from EU.

(SFP-WP Newsroom) ~ Erdogan [and his rogue regime] is the real snake that created a lot of suffering, mourning and damage to the Syrian people during these five years, and now, while is creating a lot of suffering, mourning and damage to his own people, he is threatening Europe.

All the terrorists that have gone by to Europe and the Middle East are passed across Turkey.

Erdogan is the true caliph of Daesh-ISIS: Al-Baghdadi is just a stunt double.

European peoples, you are warned: stop Erdogan and your corrupt politicians who are dealing with ‘refugees’ as if they were at the potatoes’ market.

Before it is too late.

Syrians want to return to their homes in Syria, not to be tramps in Europe.

The second-largest city in southeastern Turkey with highly-developed infrastructure, Diyarbakir is gradually becoming a city of the dead and missing. The unofficial capital of the Kurdish area of Turkey, the city has seen repeated shelling since July 2015. It was placed under two curfews in December.

On March 16, following clashes between Kurdish militants and Turkish forces, Ankara once again imposed an indefinite curfew in some parts of the city.

Ever since the military operations were launched in the city, “tens of thousands” of people have been forced to flee their homes, according to reports from Republican Peoples Party (CHP) said.

Earlier in March, RT’s William Whiteman went to Diyarbakir to film testimonies of those mourning their loved ones lost as a result of the ongoing crackdown.

One of the most severely shelled areas of the city has become Sur district surrounded by UNESCO-listed Roman-era walls.

Whiteman spoke to the weeping mother of 17-year-old Rozerin Cukur, who was killed in a military bombardment of Sur while she was visiting the district with friends in early January. With access to the area now cut off by the fighting, her body has never been recovered.

Considering Turkey’s crucial role in NATO’s five-year-long genocidal covert war on Syria, it truly beggars belief that only five weeks before the launch of this war in March 2011, Turkey’s then Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (now President) was still fully engaged in ensnaring Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad with an utterly treacherous “friendship” discourse.

In fact, 4 months after a foundation stone laying ceremony of a “friendship dam” held at the border between Turkey’s Hatay province and Syria’s Idlib province; the same border area was used by NATO’s mercenary-terrorists to perpetrate their first large-scale massacre in Syria…

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavoro says there is evidence that Turkish troops have invaded Syria. In an interview broadcast on Sunday, Lavrov accused Turkey of a “creeping expansion” on its border with Syria.

The comments by Lavrov are the latest confrontation between Moscow and Ankara, after Turkish jets shot down a Russian warplane near the Turkish-Syrian border in November.

“Turkey has started to declare it has a sovereign right to create some safety zones on Syrian territory,” Lavrov told Russian television channel Ren-TV. “According to our data, they have already ‘dug themselves in’ several hundred meters from the border in Syria. … It’s a sort of creeping expansion.”

Informed sources announced that the Turkish Army troops have crossed the border line with Syria in Northeastern province of Hasaka and embarked on building a wall of separation along the border.

The Turkish officials and army men, backed by several Tanks and armored vehicles, entered the territories of the small town of Tal Halaf in the Western part of Ra’as al-Ein and launched construction operation of buffer wall at eight meters inside the Syrian territories.

Harrowing accounts of an alleged massacre of dozens of Kurdish civilians in the southeastern Turkish town of Cizre have been collected by William Whiteman (RT), who traveled to the area following reports of a brutal military crackdown on the population.

Between 45 and 50 people were burned alive in one of the buildings, according to a local woman speaking to Whiteman. What is worse, many of the victims appear to have been cold-bloodedly beheaded by the Turkish regime troops.

Turkey’s top-selling opposition newspaper, Zaman, which has been “forcibly taken over” by the Turkish government, will continue publishing as an independent daily in Germany, editor-in-chief of Zaman Almanya (Zaman Germany) has vowed.

Speaking to Reuters TV, Zaman Almanya’s editor-in-chief, Sueleyman Bag, said the current print version of Zaman in Turkey “has nothing to do with Zaman there because it has been forcibly taken over by the state.”

“We will print an independent newspaper. We still have not addressed the question of how we do that. This is a new challenge for us,” Bag said. Zaman Almanya’s print edition in Germany, which is home to a large Turkish community, has 14,300 subscribers.

On Monday, the paper contrasted its coverage with that of Zaman’s Turkish edition, currently under government-imposed management, by revealing a black front page bearing the headline: “The constitution is suspended.” The lead story in the online edition described how protests against Zaman’s takeover were violently dispersed in Istanbul. It featured a photo of a female protester with a bloodied face. Zaman Almanya also posted stories condemning President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s crackdown on freedom of speech and criticizing European countries for their “silence” in the face of human rights violations in Turkey.

(Finian Cunningham)
With the violent police seizure of Turkey’s biggest independent newspaper this weekend, the country has finally crossed the line to become a fully-fledged dictatorship.

For many months now, the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been cracking down on media as part of a wider move towards an increasingly authoritarian regime under his ruling Justice and Development Party.

Under Turkey’s state constitution, freedom of media is supposed to be guaranteed from government interference.

Clearly, Turkey can no longer pretend to be a democratic state.

The constitution has been sacked in the most graphic way.

It is now a dictatorship where those who criticize the “ruler” are liable to receive prison sentences because they are either “terrorist supporters” or “insulting” his ego.

The increasingly despotic nature of Turkey under Erdogan is intimately bound up with his regime’s criminal aggression towards Syria.

Over the past five years, Erdogan has moved from covert sponsorship of terror proxies in Syria to a blatant role in waging aggression… … …

NOTICE TO READERS

These infos are not intended to be shocking or to glorify violence in any way. These articles/images/videos are for educational purposes only, for documenting and try to explain the backdrop of a historical ruthless and bloody war, whose characteristics and details are routinely distorted and smothered by the dominant media.